Kim Ha-sung, who is a 100% hitter, was eventually demoted to No. 1 → 8. Tampa Bay's highest annual salary to be humiliated

Aug 14, 2025

Kim Ha-sung, who is a 100% hitter, was eventually demoted to No. 1 → 8. Tampa Bay's highest annual salary to be humiliated



Kim Ha-sung, who is a 100% hitter, was eventually demoted to No. 1 → 8. Tampa Bay's highest annual salary to be humiliated
'No.1 hitter → No.8 hitter' was so bad that the batting order was pushed back a long time. The pride of the team's highest annual salary can be hurt.

Kim Ha-sung of the Tampa Bay Rays was pulled down to the eighth batting order without hesitation after being the first hitter for two consecutive days.

Kim Ha-sung was placed in the starting lineup as the eighth shortstop in an away game against the Athletics at Suter Health Park in Sacramento, California, USA on the morning of the 14th (Korea time). It appears to be a measure taken because it is '10% hitter'.




Before this game, Kim Ha-sung's batting average for the season was only 0.188. I came out in 9 games and had 12 hits in 64 at-bats. Two home runs, five RBIs and four runs are the detailed indicators. The on-base percentage is 0.278 and the slugging percentage is 0.313, and the OPS, the sum of these two indicators, is 0.581. If Kim Ha-sung was not a player who received the highest annual salary in the team ($13 million, about KRW 18.1 billion), he would be kicked out to the minor leagues.

Kim Ha-sung, who is a 100% hitter, was eventually demoted to No. 1 → 8. Tampa Bay's highest annual salary to be humiliated
Kim Ha-sung was unusually placed as the first batter in the first and second games of the three away games against Athletics. It was a gamble-like arrangement by Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash. It seems that Kim Ha-sung decided that his batting sense revived when he hit a double and a home run consecutively against Seattle on the 11th. At first glance, the choice to put 'the highest salary player' who has revived the sense of hitting to more at-bats seems reasonable.

But it was a clear misjudgment. Kim Ha-sung's batting sense did not recover. It just happened to hit me well before Seattle.




He had no hits in five times at bat in the game on the 12th and had no hits in four times at bat on the 13th. Coach Cash's experiment resulted in a catastrophic situation, with "'Leadoff Kim Ha-sung' having no hits in nine consecutive at-bats for two days. In the end, Kim Ha-sung failed to maintain a batting average of 20%. It was concluded as a card that should never be taken out again.

Coach Cash seems to have accepted this reality as well.

Kim Ha-sung, who is a 100% hitter, was eventually demoted to No. 1 → 8. Tampa Bay's highest annual salary to be humiliated
On the 14th, he lowered Kim Ha-sung to No. 8 against the Athletics. It means that he has no choice but to use it as a defender due to the lack of shortstop resources, but he doesn't expect much from hitting. Tampa Bay is very unlikely to advance to the postseason. Kim Ha-sung returned late in early July, but he is not helping the team at all.




Kim Ha-sung has an option to go to FA after the season. However, it would be better not to go out. If you go to the market, you are likely to receive harsh cold treatment beyond the ice age. The urgent thing right now is to hit at least the .20 batting average. It is never an easy mission for the current Kim Ha-sung.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.